I can’t believe I managed to wait over a year! And also that I didn’t make more batches during those months of waiting… If I’d known how good this would be, I would have.
This is the jar that I topped with a thick layer of salt, which has turned into a crust; the other jar has instead a smaller jar tucked inside the lid, pushing down on the miso. I have yet to open that one, but it looks much the same as this.
Look at the layers in this head of red cabbage! Like contour lines on a map… So perfect… Almost as perfect as a good kraut!
Micro-Batch Mustard Ruby Kraut
2 Cups finely sliced red cabbage (I used about 1⁄8 of a head)
1 teaspoon pickling salt
1 teaspoon red mustard seeds
A few splashes of dechlorinated water
Finely sliced red cabbage – If you have a mandolin or other cabbage shredding device, use that! I made do with a sharp knife.
Two cups of sliced cabbage, ready to go
The cabbage in a large bowl, with room for mixing
Add 1 teaspoon of coarse pickling salt
Add a teaspoon of red mustard seeds
Now mix with a clean hand…
Mixing…
Still mixing…
The cabbage is releasing juice!
Pack the mixture into a clean, 500 mL glass canning jar
Don`t forget the juice
Press it down, to see if there`s enough liquid to cover the cabbage… Not quite enough
This is dechlorinated water: Tap water that was boiled and left to cool on the counter… It works well for fermenting, though it likely still contains chloramine
Pour in a little bit of the water, just to cover cabbage
Just enough liquid to cover the cabbage!
Fermentation lid, ready to go: 3-piece airlock, plastic lid with grommet, rubber ring, metal ring
Fit the 3-piece airlock snugly into the grommet in the plastic lid
Place the rubber ring on the lip of the jar
The lid fits onto the jar next
Then the metal ring screws down and holds the lid securely on the jar
Remove the cap from the airlock, and add water up to the fill line, then replace cap
Don`t forget to label your ferment! Name and date, please
Now the hard part… Waiting. Maybe a week, probably four!